Ruby: Let me try! You can trust me!

Blue: I'm the Peacekeeper, Penny, that means I have to listen to everyone's problems

Penny: You're both my friends, right? You promise you're my friend?!

Ruby: I promise.

Blue: I swear on my life, that we are friends

Penny: Ruby....Blue....I'm not a real girl.

Penny shows Blue and Ruby the toll of stopping the truck that would have killed her. Parts of her palm's skin have ripped away, revealing the gray metal underneath.

Penny stares sadly at Ruby's face, now completely astounded by her friend's secret. Blue was slowly surprised but didn't show it much on his face.

Ruby: Oh

Blue: Oh Noes ._.

Ruby: Penny, I-I don't understand...

Penny: Most girls are born, but I was made. I'm the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an Aura. I'm not real...

Blue: I see why you're conflicted

Ruby: Of course you are. You think just because you've got nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts makes you any less real than me?

Penny: I don't.....um...you're...taking this extraordinarily well.

Blue: I mean, look at Ruby, she is like an alien with how hyper she gets

Ruby: Hey!

Blue: I am not wrong!

Ruby:....Anyways, Penny, you're not like those things we saw back there. You've got a heart, and a soul; I can feel it!

Blue: You are definitely different compared to other machines

Penny: Ooohh...oh Ruby! Blue!

Penny grabs Ruby and Blue into a hug and shakes them back and forth.

Penny: You're the best pair of friends anyone could have!

Ruby: I can see why your Father would want to protect such a delicate flower!

Blue: Hugs are nice :D

Penny releases Blue and Ruby, fully back to her happy self.

Penny: Oh, he's very sweet! My Father's the one that built me! I'm sure you would love him!

Ruby: Wow. He built you all by himself?

Penny: Well, almost! He had some help from Mr. Ironwood.

Ruby: The General?!

Blue: I am not surprised

Ruby: Wait...Is that why those soldiers were after you?

Penny: They like to protect me, too!

Ruby: [Scoffs] They don't think you can protect yourself?

Penny: They're not sure if I'm ready yet...one day, it will be my job to save the world, but I still have a lot left to learn. That's why my father let me come to the Vytal Festival. I want to see what it's like in the rest of the world, and test myself in the Tournament.

Ruby: Penny, what are you talking about? Save the world from what? We're in a time of peace!

Penny: That's not what Mr. Ironwood said...

Blue: He would definitely think that peace wasn't stable in this world

Soldier 1: Check down here!

Blue: Oh Noes

Penny: You both have to hide!

Blue: I don't need to since the soldiers will recognise who I am

Penny: Oh, okay! But that leaves Ruby, to hide!

Penny lifts Ruby above her head effortlessly, and Ruby begins to struggle and scream as she is carried toward the dumpster.

Ruby: Penny, wait! What are you doing? You don't have to go with them! I can help you!

Penny throws Ruby in the trash and lifts the lid so she can still talk, while Blue stands to the side.

Penny: It's okay, Ruby. They're not bad people; I just don't want to get you in trouble. Just promise me you won't tell anyone else my secret. Okay?

Ruby: I promise.

Blue: I'll take it to the grave

Ruby lowers her head into the garbage as the lid is put down, but she lifts it a little to peek at the scene outside.

Soldier 1: (Off-screen.) There she is!

Penny: Sal-u-tations, officers!

Soldier 1: Why were you running? And what happened to the other girl?

Penny: What girl? I've been by myself all day!

Blue: I just found her here, no other girl in sight, lads

Soldier 1: You shouldn't cause such a scene, it was a good thing that the Peacekeeper kid found you

Soldier 2: Are you okay?

Penny: Just a scratch.

Soldier 1: Penny, your Father isn't going to be happy about this.

Soldier 2: Please, just come with us.

Penny: Yes, sir!

Penny and the soldiers are heard walking away as Ruby looks on in sadness...until a rat screeches from below her feet, causing the young Huntress to fall and close the lid on herself.

Blue: A-Are you....okay? ._.

Ruby: I-I'm fine!

Blue: Cool, you meet up with Weiss, I'm going to help out Yang

Ruby: Okay, I'll see you later

In the ruined parts of Vale, the sound of an engine gets closer and closer until Bumblebee pulls into the street and stops showing Yang behind the handlebars in her matching helmet.

Yang takes off the helmet, talking to someone as she gestures with her thumb to the music playing nearby.

Yang: Come on, my friend's right in here!

Blue: You mean here?

Yang: Ah! Blue? Where did you-?

Blue: Magic :3

Yang: Oh, very funny

Blue: I am a comedian, anyways, I just finished with Ruby and Weiss and thought that I might as well check up on you.

Yang: Well I don't mind you being here.

Yang gets off the bike to reveal Neptune sitting right behind her, hair and goggles messed up with a petrified expression of terror on his face.

Neptune: Cool....

He shakes his head, somehow perfectly fixing his appearance, and gets off the cycle, looking around worriedly.

Neptune: And where exactly is...here?

The music from Junior's Club gets louder once inside to show Junior behind the bar adjusting his cuffs as his Henchmen stock the bottles, carry boxes, and otherwise stand around on the dance floor, until...

Henchman 1: Hurry, close the door, she's coming!

He and another Henchman proceed to roll the doors shut and keep them closed with their bodies.

Junior: What are you two idiots doing?!

The Henchmen shout incoherently until an explosion knocks them to the ground and forces the doors open, allowing a familiar face to walk in through the smoke as "I Burn" starts playing.

Yang: Guess who's back!

Yang continues to smile and pose as eight guns are pointed in her face with an equal number of angry Henchmen behind them.

Though this doesn't faze her, she stops and glares at the recording studio where the track is messing up until the frightened bear-headed DJ takes the needle off the record and retreats back under the table.

Blue and Neptune appear behind Yang as the Henchmen continue hoisting their guns.

Neptune: Yeah, so could you define "friend" for me?

Blue: What the HFIL Yang?!

Junior: Stop, stop! Nobody shoot. Blondie, you're here! Why? And with him as well?

Blue: Heyo!

Yang: You still owe me a drink.

She grabs Junior by the arm and drags him to the bar through the hired guns.

Neptune: Whoa-ho-ho-ho, what a woman

He breaks from his lovestruck staring to see the twins Melanie and Miltia Malachite standing beside him.

Neptune: Sup

Melanie and Miltia: Whatever

The two ignore him and were about to walk away, but they wave at Blue and give him a look that he was oblivious to.

Neptune: W-What the....you know them?

Blue: I've met them a few times, I had to come here to ask for information from Junior

Neptune: For Ozpin?

Blue: Nope
______________________________

Meanwhile with Blake and Sun who were on their part of the mission, Blake's fingers trace three scratch marks on a wall before peeking around its corner.

She sees a pair of horned Faunus as they are ushered into a building by a bearded man. She turns to Sun next to her.

Blake: This is it.

Sun: You sure?

Blake glares at him and starts moving towards the entrance while unfastening her bow.

Sun: Y'know, I'm just gonna take your word for it.

The two walk inside the building to a hallway filled with cases, seeing another man announcing. Blake and Sun now had masks in their hands.

Man: New recruits, keep to the right!

Sun: I don't get it. If you believe what you're doing is right, why hide who you are?

Blake: The masks are a symbol. Humanity wanted to make monsters out of us, so we chose to don the faces of monsters.

Sun: Grimm masks...that's kind of dark.

Blake: So was the guy who started it.

She puts the mask on, and Sun follows her lead.

Sun: Always sunshine and rainbows with you...

The new recruits to the White Fang are moving in a line to the side of the stage, a mere few dozen compared to the hundreds of white vested, black hooded soldiers to their left and up above in the balconies.

Blake and Sun look around themselves when they stop, and a fully masked man with tattoos standing starts speaking before the large sheet emblazoned with the bloody wolf and claw marks.

White Fang Lieutenant: Thank you all for coming. For those of you who are joining us for the first time tonight, allow me to introduce a very special comrade of ours! I can assure you, he is the key to obtaining what we have fought for for so long!

The dark pants and brown shoes step forward before the orange tip of the Melodic Cudgel taps on the stage. It was none other than Roman Torchwick, smiling confidently even as the crowd starts protesting.

Roman: Thank you, thank you! Please, hold your applause!

Antler Faunus: What's a human doing here?!

Roman: I'm glad you asked, "Deerie"! Now, I'll be the first to admit...humans...are the worst.

(Preach Brother!)

Roman: Case in point. So, I understand why you would like to see us all locked away, or, better yet, killed!

Sun: So, is he going somewhere with this?

Roman: But, before the claws come out, I'd like to mention the fact that you and I all have a common enemy: the ones in control, the people pulling the strings, the dirty, rotten humans that run our kingdoms!

The crowd changes their tune and start agreeing with him.

Roman: Government, military, even the schools: they're all to blame for your lot in life! And they're all pests that need to be dealt with! Fortunately, I'm the best exterminator around....no offense to any rodents in the room.

With a snap of the fingers, the curtain falls, and the whole mass of Faunus applaud at the sight of the Atlesian Paladin-290 behind it, the mark of the White Fang painted on its shoulder.

Sun: Whoa, that's a big robot...

Blake: How did he get that?

Roman: As some of you may have heard, this right here....is Atlas' newest defense against all the scary things in the world. And thanks to my "employer", we've managed to snag a few before they, uh, "hit the shelves". Now, many of your Brothers have already moved down to our new operation in the southeast. If you'd rather stay within the city, that's fine...but if you're truly ready to fight for what you believe in, this is the arsenal I can provide you. Any questions?

The White Fang's roaring applause tells him the answer.

Blake: We should get out of here.

White Fang Lieutenant: Will all new recruits, please come forward!

The line begins to move forward as Blake and Sun try to find a way out.

Sun: Welp!

Back at the Club, Junior puts down his glass as he sits behind the bar separating him from his interrogator.

Junior: I don't know!

Yang: How can you not know?

Junior: I haven't talked to him! I haven't even seen him since the night you first came in here. He paid up front, I lent him my men, and none of them ever. Came. Back.

Blue: Damn....RIP to the homies

Neptune: So where did they go?

Blue:

Junior: What kind of stupid question is that? They never came back! Who is this guy?

Yang pushes Neptune out of the way with one hand.

Yang: Don't worry about him, worry about me if I don't find out what I want!

Junior: I already told you everything!Torchwick hired my boys, and I guess he wasn't happy with them, which is something I can relate to!

He shouts this at his own men, who grumble and walk away in response.

Yang: Come on, you two

Yang turns from the bar and walks away.

Melanie: Bye Blue~

Miltia: Come visit us soon~

Blue: Okay, bye! Aren't I good at making friends?

Neptune: Yeah....friends -_-

Blue and Neptune follow Yang out of the bar and back to Bumblebee.

Neptune: We get everything we need?

Yang: Well, we got everything we can. Hopefully the rest of the team is having better luck. Oh Blue, how are you going to-?

Blue: Same way I got here, I'll be fine

Back at the warehouse, the White Fang is still cheering loudly as the recruits are marched to the stage, with Blake and Sun having no choice but to follow along.

Sun: What are we going to do?!

Blake: I'm thinking...

Sun watches Roman lean on the robot smoking his cigar and laughing with the girl beside him before he zeroes in on the two, frowning.

Sun: He sees us...

Blake: He can't see in the dark.

With that, Blake unsheathes Gambol Shroud, transforms it into a pistol, and shoots at the electrical box, making the lights go out for the whole building and turning the screen dark.

Roman: Don't let them get away!

Blake: Sun! The window!

Roman: Stop them!

Before the two student Huntsmen crash through the window and start running as fast as they can, the mechanized sound of running power signals the Altesian Paladin's activation.

It crashes through the wall of the building in pursuit of the runaways, who leap off of a car and manage to get on the roofs. The Paladin follows beside them on the street as Blake and Sun run, jump, and flip from rooftop to rooftop.

Sun: So you wouldn't happen to have...oh, I don't know...some form of backup?!

Blake: On it!

She grabs her Scroll and puts it to her ear as she continues to jump. Weiss is seen leaving the Cross Continental Transmit tower's elevator when she grabs her own Scroll and listens to Blake's message.

Blake: Everyone! If you can hear me, we need back-

Sun: HEEEELLLLP!

(This monke brings shame to his name)

Weiss rolls her eyes and starts running out the door, a little smile on her face as she does so. Ruby is still beside the dumpster which is boarded up, possibly to keep the rat imprisoned, then she stares at her Scroll.

Sun: Big robot! And it's big! Really big!

Ruby: Oh, I am not missing this!

Ruby runs off to join the fight, Yang is back on the motorcycle in her helmet and sunglasses with Neptune looking at the Scroll in her hand over her shoulder.

Sun: That Torchwick guy is in it! But not, like, it didn't eat him; he's, like, controlling it or something!

Blue: Oh Lord, he is in the God Damn Mech!

Yang: Where are you guys?

Right on cue, behind them, Blake and Sun can be seen running through the street with the Paladin hot on their heels before they all disappear from view.

Sun: HURRYYYY!!!

Neptune: I think that was them.

Blue: Nah, it must've been the wind

Yang puts the Scroll away, she quickly circles her ride aroun, much to Neptune's alarm, and drives off to follow them. Blue watches on and slowly makes his way after them, he wants to see how the six deal with something like this.

Blake and Sun somehow make it to the highways, jumping down into the busy street and continuing their escape by hopping on cars while the Paladin follows them by pushing vehicles out of the way.

Sun pauses to look at their pursuer's path of destruction before leaping onto more cars, much to the anger of Roman inside the robot, his face surrounded by blue holographic screens.

Yang and Neptune are able to follow the mech suit on their ride, coming up next to it as it runs.

Yang: We've gotta slow it down!

Neptune: Got it!

Neptune reaches for his gun, but Roman notices the pair on his sensors and crashes into a multitude of cars with the Paladin's strong bulk, sending them flying towards his chasers.

Yang: Hold on!

Neptune: Wuh-oh...

Yang swerves, leaning her bike to the side in avoidance of flying debris while Neptune flails in a panic.

Back on two wheels again, Neptune unslings his weapon, aims as sparks start flying, and fires several bolts of blue electricity at the Paladin, causing Roman to grimace from the force of the attacks.

Switching strategies, Neptune flips the gun and it grows a shaft and an energy blade at the end, then jumps from Yang's bike as the spear's head splits in three and drives it into the top of the Paladin.

Sun and Blake pause in their car hopping to look back.

Sun: Neptune, hang on!

Neptune is trying his best, but the mech keeps bucking and threatens to make him fall. Closing his eyes, Sun smashes his palms together, and from the golden Aura around him, his Semblance creates two glowing outlines that copy their creator.

The outline clones leap off and go back over the tops of vehicles to collide into the Paladin's front. They explode into blinding light upon contact to let Sun leap forward with Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang held high.

But Roman finally turns enough to send Neptune flying off and knocking into his leader, sending both of them off the highway. As Blake looks on from her spot, she hears a voice from her Scroll.

Weiss: Blake! I'm in position!

She is seen twirling over a highway and landing in the middle of the road, holding Myrtenaster at the approaching Roman.

He smiles as his robot charges the girl, but Weiss spins and plunges her blade into the ground, summoning a circle of ice across the pavement that causes the Paladin to slip and crash.

The paladin flys over the young Huntress and falls off the ramp, landing further down before Ruby, already having her Crescent Rose out in scythe form.

The Paladin stands back up, and the rest of Team RWBY falls beside their leader to take up positions. Roman chuckles, moving the robot slowly towards the girls.

Ruby: Freezer Burn!

Ruby and Blake jump back out of the way as Weiss performs her same ice-circle trick, but backs out of Yang's way when she jumps into the air and hits the epicenter with her Ember Celica, creating a wave of mist that surrounds Roman.

Immediately, the Paladin activates its laser sensors to make up for the lost sight, but it barely sees the afterimage of Blake and narrowly misses the dashing Yang.

A gun manages to fire at the area between Blake and Yang, but out from the blast comes Ruby, who slashes the metal with her blade, causing it to falter.

Ruby: Checkmate!

Blake and Weiss go in this time, each girl going for the feet until Weiss jumps up and stabs a sensor before leaping off of a white glyph. Roman lifts the Paladin's foot to crush Blake, but Weiss summons another glyph under her teammate to launch her backwards before the crushing blow can land.

Roman growls and fires off the missiles, but Weiss and Blake flip backwards as the explosions merely hit where they were. Finally, Weiss jumps up too high, and Roman fires a double energy blast at her.

Myrtenaster absorbs the damage, but Weiss is thrown back, so she casts a beam of light from her weapon to the ground under Blake, forming a yellow clockwork circle that's absorbed into the Faunus girl and lets her slice through each launched missile with ease in a flurry of super-fast slashes.

Ruby: Ladybug!

Ruby shoots herself forward and cuts at the robot's legs, then turns as Blake aims herself at the giant's feet as well.

They both dash forward and attack at the same time, circling each other around the Paladin with each strike until they both launch themselves into the air and come down together on the shoulder, cutting off the left arm entirely.

Yang doesn't waste a second, jumping onto the Paladin's back and punching the top with fiery shotgun blasts.

Roman is knocked around in the cabin, but seeing as he can't reach her with his remaining mechanical arm, he runs backwards through two columns and leaves her embedded in a third before backing away and turning towards her.

Just as she is falling down, the remaining arm extends a closed fist, and when it punches her, she flies through the column and doesn't get up.

Blake: Yang!

Ruby: Don't worry! With each hit she gets stronger, and she uses that energy to fight back! That's what makes her special.

Yang slowly gets back on her feet, hair burning as she clenches her fists. Sensing victory, Roman throws a punch, but Yang catches it in her own hand, despite the ground cracking beneath her.

Her eyes were red with rage, smashes her knuckles into the second arm, obliterating it under her force.
Getting desperate with his armless robot, Roman immediately kicks Yang to the side, but as she passes her sister and teammates...

Ruby: Bumblebee!

Blake throws her Gambol Shroud out for Yang to catch while flying, and the Faunus uses the momentum to swing the glowing girl around for a final hit to the robot.

Roman, however, steps out of the way just in time to avoid complete destruction.

Ruby: We have to slow it down!

Weiss: And how do you propose we do that?

Ruby: Ice Flower!

Twirling their weapons so they both point at Roman, Weiss creates a series of glyphs in front of the scythe's sniper barrel, and a single shot through the circles creates a dazzling spiral of energy that creates large icicles upon impact with the Paladin.

Ruby continues to shoot as Weiss freezes the fire, and as the ice completely envelops the robot's body, Blake swings her partner around in a circle one more time.

But with Roman unable to move, the Paladin is hit by the speed and power of Yang's fists, flying into the air before crashing down. Somehow, the Paladin still wasn't broken, and was ready to continue.

Ruby: Aw what?

Yang: Why can't he just stay down?!

Roman: Haha! It's going to take more than four teens to take this thing down!

Then, in a matter of a second, the joints of the Paladin are struck, taking it down for good. The Girls were confused until Blue seemingly phased in front of them, with his Power Pole in hand.

Weiss: Blue!

Blake: Was that your-?

Blue: Semblance? Oh yeah, but it was my last use of it today.....don't know why I used it to travel, only saves time, not make me faster.....well it kind of does depending on how you use it

Roman gets up, slightly dazed but unharmed, as he inspects the damage while brushing himself off.

Roman: Just got this thing cleaned...

He looks up just in time to see Yang, still burning with her absorbed power, fire a single shot at the defenseless thief.

But he's saved at the last instant when the two-toned girl seen before drops in front of him and merely opens Hush, deflecting the blast entirely.

The new arrival hangs the weapon over her shoulder as Roman addresses the victors.

Roman: Ladies, kid, Ice Queen...

Weiss: Hey!

Roman: Always a pleasure! Neo, if you would...

The pink-and-brown girl curtsies her enemies with a bow, but Blue and Yang were having none of it, charging forth with their weapons raised to strike the outlaws.

But when the Powerpole (since it has a longer reach) comes into contact with them, it only breaks their image as if made out of a mirror. They turn just in time to see them escape in a Bullhead.

The rest of team RWBY runs up to Yang's side, now cooled down with the end of the fight.

Blue: We've been tricked, we've been backstabbed and we've been quite possibly bamboozled!

Yang: So I guess he got a new henchman...

Weiss: Yeah, I guess she really made our plans...fall apart!

Blue:

While Weiss smiles, Ruby giggles, and Blake starts walking away, Yang looked disappointed.

Yang: No. Just...no.

Weiss: What...but, you do it!

Yang: There's a time and a place for jokes.

Weiss: Was this not it?

Yang: No, it just wasn't very good.

Weiss: Well, at least I'm trying! Blue, that was good right?

Blue:

Weiss: B-BLUE!

Ruby: Wait...where are Sun and Neptune?

Blue: Dead

RWBY: 0_0

Blue: I'm joking!....Maybe!

On the discussion of Sun and Neptune, the two boys could be seen sitting in the middle stools of the "A Simple Wok Noodle House" eating their plates of noodles with the Shopkeeper behind the counter and their weapons leaning on the other two stools.

Neptune: They're probably fine, right?

Sun: Probably, Peacekeeper is with them, I'm sure

With his question answered, Neptune turns back to his noodles, and the two eat in silence.
________________________________